Fuse for explosive projectiles.



' Northampton county,

UNITED sTaTEs PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT PAUL STOUT, 0F BETHLEHEM, vNORTIrIAlVIl'1ON COUNTY, AND WILLIAM L.

L'UKENS, 0F BETHLEHEM,

LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY, OF SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

FUSE Eon EXrLosIvE rnoJEoTILEs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1915.

Application filed December 7, 1914. Serial No. 875,970.

To all ywhom it may concern Be it known that we, ROBERT PAUL S'roUT and WILLIAM LESLIE LUKENs, citizens of the United States, residing at Bethlehem,

and Bethlehem, Lehigh county, State of `Fennsylvania,- respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuses for Explosive Projectiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fuses for pro-A jectiles and has for one of its objects the provision of a fuse which is normally unarmed and perfectly safe and proof against premature explosion due to v dropping or roughly handling.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fuse which, while normally in an unarmed condition, is automatically armed when the projectile is in flight and so constructed as to be thoroughly reliable in opj eration.

Other objects and the features of novelty will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a fuse embodying the invention, the parts being shown in the unarmed position; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the parts in the armed position; Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a sec' tion on the line 4-4 of Fig.` 1.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates the usual shell or body member of the fuse which is provided with the external threads 11 by means of which the fuse is secured in position in the projectile. The body member 10 is provided with a chamber 12 in which a hammer 13 is slidably arranged. The inner end of the'body member has secured therein a cap 14 containing an exploding charge 15 and a percussion primer 16. The parts 10, 14, 15 and 16 may be of any preferred construction.

The hammer 13 comprises an outer shell into which a block/17 is secured by pins or any preferred method, this block having an two or more radial openings 22 in which are arranged the centrifugal weights 23. Springs 24 enter thc outer ends of the Weights 23 and normally press these weights against the firing device 19. As shownin Fig. 1, the weights 23 have their inner ends normally arranged between the collars 21 of the firing device and thus hold this device in the unarmed position against the action of the spring 25. From Fig. 1 it will be evident that with the firing device 19 in the position shown, it will be impossible for the point 2O to strike the primer 16 even if the fuse were dropped, and struck on the cap .j

14 thereby causing the hammer to compress the spring 26 which normally holds the hammer in the end of the chamber 12 remote from the primer. The point 20 of the firingv device is, in the unarmed position, Within 'the hammer, so that the end of the hammer ment 27, which, as shown in Fig. 2, limits the. i

arming movement of the firing device 19 and when the firing device is in this position the point 20 projects from the forward end of the hammer and is in position to strike the primer' 16 when the hammer moves toward the cap 14. At the rear of the block 17 is a chamber 28 in which is a disk 29 having an eccentrically arranged perforation 30 through which the'endof the firing device 19 projects when the fuse is in the unarmed position, as shown in Fig. 1. With the p'arts in this position the disk 29 is held against lateral movement by the firing device but when the latter moves into the armed position shown in Fig. 2 the disk is released and permitted to move laterally to carry the perforation 30 out of alinement with the firing device and thus prevent a .return movement of the latter to the unarmed position. lVith the parts y in Fig. 2`it will be evident that the disk 29 fo'rms an'unyielding connection between the hammer and the end of the firing-device and also locks the firing device against the abutment 27. The firing device is therefore, in the armed position, rigidly connected with the hammer and'thus l'when t e flight of the in the position shown piojectile is interrupted the full force of the hammer will be transmitted to the ring device to drive the latter into the primer.

Theoperation of the fuse is as follows:

vIVhen the fuse is applied to the projectile the parts are in the position shown in Fig. l and the projectile may be handled-With perfect safety. 'IVhen the projectile is fired from the gun the rotation causes the weights 23 to be thrown out radially against the action of the springs' 2l. This releases the firing device 19 and permits the spring' 25 to move the device forwardly into the position against abutment 27 as shown in Fig. 2. In this position the weights 23 are prevented from returning to their former position by one of the collars 2l and, in case the rotation of the projectile were wholly or partially' interrupted, the fuse would still remain inthe armed position. The disk 29, 'having been released bythe forward'movement of the firing device, lassumes the position shown in F ig. 2 on account of the centrifugal force acting on this disk and thus forms a positive connection between the firing device and-'the hammer. IVhen the projectile strikes, the inertia of the hammer causes it to move forward and force the point 20 of the.

tiring device into the primer soas to eX- plode-the latter.

It will be evident that changes may be.

made inthe details of construction without departing from the spirit of our invention and we therefore Vdo not wish to be limited to the exact details and arrangement shown in the drawings.

Having thus described the invention vwhat is claimed anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. In a fuse for projectiles, the combination `of a firing device, automatically unlocked means for normally restraining vsaid and the hammer when the former is in the armed position.

3. In a fuse for projectiles, the combination of a firing device, automatically unlocked means for normally restraining said device from arming movement, a hammer, spring means for.i moving said device into armed position, and means carried by said hammer for'loclcing said device in the armed position.

4C. In a fuse for'projectiles, the combination of a firing device, automatically unlocked means for normally restraining said device from arming movement, a hammer, spring 4means for moving said device into armed position, and a centrifugal element for automatically locking said device in the armed position. A

5. In a fuse for projectiles, the combination of a firing device, automatically unlocked means for normally restraining said device from arming movement, a hammer, spring means for moving said device into armed position, and a centrifugal element normally held by said device and adapted, when released, to moveto a position in which it forms an unyielding connection between the device and vsaid hammer.

6. In a fuse for projectiles, the'combination, of a hammer, a firing device carried by the hammer and movable relatively thereto, automatically unlocked means for' normally restraining said device from arming \movement, spring means vfor moving said device into the armed position, and,O

means for positively locking said device to the hammer in the armed position.

7. In a fuse for projectiles, the combina tion of a hammer, a firing device carried-by the hammer and movable relatively thereto, automatically unlocked means for normally restraining'said device from arming movement, spring means for moving said device into the armed position, and a centrifugal element for automatically locking said device in the armed position.

8. In a fuse for projectiles, the combination of a hammer, a firing device carried by said'hammer and movable relatively thereto, i

one or more centrifugal elements carried by the hammer and normally restraining said device from arming movement, spring means for moving said device into the armed position, and means whereby said device is locked in the armed position.

9. In a fuse for projectiles, the combination of a hammer, a firing device carried by said hammer and movable relatively thereto, an abutment on said hammer for limiting the Aarming movement of saiddevice, one or more centrifugal elementscarried by said hammer and normally restraining said device from arming movement,

means for automatically moving said device f into the armed position, andv an automatically actuated element normally restrained by said device and movable `when the latter is in the armed position to lock the device to said'hammer.

l0. In a fuse for projectiles, the combination of a body member, a primer vcarried thereby, a hammer arranged in `said body member, spring means for normally holding said hammer away from said primer, a firprimer by said hammer, automatically i111- ing device adapted to be driven against said I vice in the unarmed position, spring means for moving said device into the armed position, and means forming an un ieldingconnection between said device an the hammer when the former is in the armed position.

1l. n a fuse for projectiles, thecombina.- tion of a body member, a primer carried by said body member, a hammer arranged within the body member, spring means for holding said hammer away from said primer, a firing device carried by said hammer and movable therein, automatically unlocked means for normally holding said device in the unarmed position, spring means for moving said device into the armed position, and means carried by the hammer for locking said device in the armed position.

12. In a fuse for projectiles, the combina- Ucpiea of this patent may be obtained for tion of a hammer having an axial opening therein, a firing device arranged in said opening; means for holding sald device in the unarmed position, spring means for moving said device into the `armed position, and a laterally movable member carried by the hammer and adapted to assume a position in the rear of said device, when the latter is in the armed position, and form an unyielding connection between the hammer and said device.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERT PAUL STOUT. WILLIAM L. LUKENS. l/Vitnesses: JAS. P. MADDEN,

EDWIN A. MILLER.

lve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,v Washington, D. C. 

